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The Carnethy Interview Ian Frost

In the nature of things (big Club, Interviewer living in a silly place, some members not able to attend many events) there are people whose paths haven’t crossed. Ian and I have not met. It was Jim McWhinnie who suggested Ian as a suitable candidate for interview. I will admit to conducting this one at a distance. He rang me after receiving a list of questions. We had a long, very enjoyable chat and now I feel as if I know him. I remember well how difficult it is to combine a busy job, having a young family and going to lots of events. There must be many Carnethy members in that position. I hope you enjoy reading Ian’s replies as much as I did. With luck, we may be out together in the hills soon.

When you spoke on the phone it was clear you were Irish. I come from Belfast. I enjoyed lots of sports at school. I had a childhood love (and still have) of Arthur Ransome and consequently bought a boat, when a boy, and taught myself to sail. My love of music led to my career. I studied at the Royal Academy of Music, then worked as an oboist in London (and played Irish pub music) for ten years. The oboe in an Irish pub?? No, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhran and accordion. I am now a school music teacher. I have just done a couple of oboe gigs in the Edinburgh festival.

You have a young family. I have two children, a girl aged 11 and a boy of 4 with my partner, Melanie.

Music is central for you - what about dancing ? I dislike dancing almost as much as watching others, unless they are really good or original. On the other hand I am a big fan of ballet. That’s very Irish. But you are obviously a fine musician, you like popular music – how can you keep your feet still when the rhythm picks up? I find if I remain seated I can move my feet without spilling my drink. .

How did you discover the hills and mountains? My grandfather had a cottage in the Mourne Mountains, which, with help from Arthur Ransom again, fostered a fascination with hills. I spotted the potential of the Scottish Highlands after a trip to Balmoral, when visiting the Edinburgh Festival in 1970.

You weren’t running then? No, it was backpacking in the Cairngorms and climbing in Skye. Serious climbing? I thought it was serious then but it probably wasn’t. Inevitably an interest in wildlife follows any trip to the Highlands and Islands.

Why Edinburgh? Finding I was spending five hiking holidays a year in Scotland, I decided it was time to move north and ended up in Edinburgh. I keep returning to the same areas and only slowly discover more. Watch out for the "Frost’s Tables" as an antidote to Munros.

And then you discovered hill running? I was caught up in the enthusiasm of a fellow climber in Fort William as he returned from his first Ben Nevis race. It sounded such a brilliant idea. I ran the Seven Hills, unattached, then the Pentland Skyline and the Lairig Ghru as my introduction to hill running. Gulp! I see you decided to start in a small way.

Why Carnethy? I joined Carnethy to race "legitimately" and to meet kindred spirits. Dave Peck passed me the information via my partner Melanie, who worked with Dave and with Ann Curtis – consequently no other club got a mention. Are there others? How did you meet Jim? Probably on one of Nigel’s early epics. I thoroughly enjoyed Jim’s company when the two of us spent an idyllic 3 days running over the Monadh Liath in a heat wave.

Tell me about your training regime and any special diet. Training varies between spasmodic to non-existent.. I try to be sensible about food and try to support organic matters when practicable, but I am devoted to quantity, fat and alcohol – and have a history of nicotine use. Do you have a valid excuse for idleness? Well, I am rarely free of family commitments before 9 pm and running enthusiasm has waned by then, especially at this time of year. If there is anyone out there, living in the Morningside to Fairmilehead area who has similar problems and wishes to train late evenings or early mornings (6 am?) do get in touch. A firm arrangement is often all the motivation that is needed. I found a commitment to a Karrimor or something like that works wonders for motivation!!

Have you any injury problems? I used to have very troublesome knees with operations in the pipeline but I am pain-free at the moment, probably due to low current mileage.

What about sports other than those you have mentioned? Dinghy racing. Ski-mountaineering. I am a (bad) golfer. I used to rent the J.M.C.S. hut by Loch Coruisk with parties from London and watch the odd yacht arrive in Loch Scavaig and dream of combining West Coast cruising with rock climbing. In the eighties this became a regular reality – anchoring in uninhabited areas and attempting remote routes.

Describe your favourite type of run. Long trail runs and journeys as sponsored by Nigel Rose (good routes, company and crack). My favourite race is the Lairig Ghru (this year I ran it both ways) and the Scottish Islands Peaks Race is great fun with the right team and sufficient malt. And you gave me the impression you trained on beer and fags!

Is there a perfect race that you would add to the calendar of events? The "Tour d’Ecosse", a multi-stage endurance mountain race in the style of the Tour de France, for 10 days or so, covering 300 miles. Brilliant! That could be across Scotland and back, or a full traverse south to north. When is it starting?

Do you run outside Scotland? I usually take my kit on holiday and generally run where we end up - Snowdonia this summer. I don’t travel much specially to run. There is so much here on the doorstep (by which I mean most of Scotland). You sound like me. It has to be something very special to get me away from Scotland. There are several lifetimes of interest here.

What is your most satisfying athletic achievement? The first of three successive West Highland Ways. I loved (almost) every minute of it. There have also been some very satisfying sailing moments like the European Championships and the odd sailing trophy.

Tell me how you feel about access to the Scottish hills. I go almost wherever I want, whilst attempting to avoid confrontation. Though I may follow the R.S.P.B recommendations and ease back on my annual pilgrimage to the capercaillie lecks, in the interests of preservation. Yes, I gather that the population of capercaillie, like many other species, is crashing just now. Access seems to be satisfactory at the moment, though in some areas organised guerilla warfare might be justified. It is important and rewarding to keep in touch with all hill users.

Are you worried by ‘development’ in the wilderness areas? I am in favour of green technology and not only in the natural environment. I recently visited the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales and saw lots of common sense ideas. The difficulty is persuading an acquisitive society to consume less before it’s too late. Unfortunately, our affluence and comforts seem to depend on the destructive nature of consumerism. I am deeply suspicious of "developers" and not just in rural areas.

Have you had any life-threatening experiences in the hills? Yes, but of no interest to anyone but myself and others involved (one psychically). I enjoy the maxim that "experience is the sum of our near misses".

How do you view the risks of running in the hills? I tend to ignore them when out but before and after worry that my ambition of self-sufficiency is compromised by the flimsy clothing we wear and carry, and the moisture we produce. I think I have become more cautious with parenthood or age (or both) as awareness increases (and near misses or experience happen). Do you think safety is an important part of race organisation? It would be a pity if concerns for safety increased in what is a delightfully minimalist pastime. Races are very safe compared to, for example, solo runs. I hope our blame-seeking society does not extend further into voluntary adventure activities. It would be wrong to be too cosseted in the self-indulgent world of sport.

Who are your heroes? Gavin Maxwell, Kathleen Ferrier, Mozart, Rudolph Nureyev and Nelson Mandela. (I notice only one is alive). Oh, and as I listen to the wireless, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Is that the guy you told me about who has recorded fourteen different cd’s of the same piece of music? That’s him. Forgive a Philistine – is he an oboist? No, a singer. The recordings span nearly thirty years. Significantly, the songs are about a journey, so perhaps his recordings will never be complete.

What are you reading now? I am re-reading ‘Lords of the Atlas’ by Gavin Maxwell. I enjoy biographies and real life romances. Often a reference in a book will send me rushing to the library in search of a vaguely related one. I read less and less fiction, except for Jane Austin. O n the phone you mentioned "Goodbye Bafana" and your connection with Nelson Mandela. Talk about that. A London friend was the son of one of Mandela’s co-conspirators. I worked for the family when they fled the country (the father was not released from Robben Island for many years). He was my companion on my first Cairgorm trip, so I was well instructed in the affairs of the African National Congress. I was also part of the European support for the ANC in the Seventies. Amazing! In Iceland recently, we were discussing how many people you had to know to have a connection with everyone. The population there is 250,000; if everyone knows 50 people, any individual is only two steps away from knowing everyone. Someone said we’re only two or three steps away from a famous person anywhere in the World but I didn’t believe it.

Where does your motivation and enthusiasm come from? From talking to people like you, viewing a skyline of hills, seeing the sun, looking at maps and planning the next outing or holiday. I love being out running and feel great afterwards but once it becomes dark I have difficulty making the first step through the door.

Give me your thoughts on SAF and Big Organisation. Simply, I comfort myself that whatever muddles the associations create, one can always get out with a few chums for a run. We could join English clubs to race in Scotland!

You must have dreams and ambitions. Will you talk about them? Ambition – another West Highland Way at age 50, in 2002 – the last one was at 40. And the Skye ridge direct. You mean in a oner? Yes, I’ve done all the bits but never the whole thing in a single day. Must have a crack at a British Senior sailing championship. So, you are now committed in public!

Anything you feel strongly about that I haven’t asked? I think the cost of fuel is too low. The whole trucking business is simply greed. The cost of transportation is passed on to the consumer, who is happily spending more than ever on goods brought across the World, at massive harm to the environment. Most households have no problem filling up two car tanks whenever they feel like it.

What will you be doing in 2010? By then the children will be old enough to allow me to get out running more. I wonder if I will? Well, if you are still a member of Carnethy, there’s no doubt you will.

Whom should I interview next? Nelson Mandela. We may need to give him honorary membership. How’s about proposing that at the next AGM? Ok! Has Nigel Rose been "done"?

 

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